Giving something back

Jim and Susan Swenson

Jim Swenson was a senior in college when the crunch hit. His rent for the year unexpectedly came due early, and he didn't have enough money to pay it.

With nowhere else to turn, he approached Bob Banks, a Superior banker who had befriended him. Banks personally loaned him $900 to get him past the crisis.

"He said we wouldn't even discuss repaying it until I was finished with school and had a full-time job," Jim recalled recently. "I told him before he passed away that he was the one who planted the seed in me that, if at some point in my life I could give something back to return the favor he had done for me, I would do it."

Jim and Susan Swenson, Superior natives who both attended UW-Superior, are repaying Banks' generosity many times over. For more than a decade they have quietly provided scores of four-year Swenson Scholarships that pay tuition, fees and books for UW-Superior students majoring in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science or mathematics. They made a large gift toward completion of the university's Health & Wellness Center, and also are providing an even larger gift toward the new academic building that is a key part of Campaign Superior: Higher Expectations.

In gratitude for the Swensons' generosity and wisdom in supporting UW-Superior students, the UW-Superior Alumni Association presented Jim and Susan Swenson with the 2004 Distinguished Alumni Award. Jim accepted the award at UW-Superior's Donor Recognition Luncheon held Oct. 8 in Rothwell Student Center.

The support the Swensons provide to UW-Superior stems from their desire to give something back to their hometown, and also from their deep-seated belief that education is critical to helping young people in the area achieve their dreams and play a role in the country's future.

"We grew up in Superior, and we feel that the solid foundation of Midwestern values and the education we received enabled us to succeed after we left there," Susan Swenson said. "It's important for young people to know that even if you come from a tiny town, if you focus on your dream, you can achieve it. And the only way to do that is through education."

Jim Swenson and Susan Locken grew up in Superior's North End and enrolled at UW-Superior in the mid-1950s, when the university was named Wisconsin State College-Superior. Jim majored in pre-chemical engineering and completed his junior year at Superior, then transferred to the University of Minnesota-Duluth for his senior year. Before marrying Jim, Susan earned a three-year teaching certificate in 1960, knowing that she would complete her degree later.

After completing military service, Jim worked for several large companies in the Twin Cities, including Honeywell and Univac, before the couple moved to California in 1968.

Susan earned a degree from California State University in Fullerton and then spent 10 years as director of patient services, first at an acute care hospital and then at a rehabilitation nursing home. Jim worked for several companies until 1978, when he founded Details Inc. to create printed circuit boards. Through years of hard work, the company became a nimble producer of engineering prototype circuit boards, serving such big-name clients as IBM and Motorola.

After selling Details in 1996, Jim and Susan decided to establish a foundation. Concerned about cuts in education spending, they support arts and education programs in California, along with making substantial gifts to UMD and UW-Superior.

"Our feelings for northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin are to provide scholarships to students who probably would not be able to go to school, and to help them get to a level with a degree so they can open doors to their future," Jim said.

"We've seen results already," he said, citing a UW-Superior student who asked that the remainder of his Swenson Scholarship be given to someone else after he started earning money from software he had developed while in school. "I thought it was absolutely marvelous that the seed had already been instilled, for he decided it was his turn to give back," Jim added.

The Swensons often receive notes and photographs from students they've helped over the years. "We know the funds have been richly invested," Susan said.